Blue Star Trail in South Haven, Saugatuck continues to grow

SOUTH HAVEN, MI -- Section by section the Blue Star Trail is growing, with a segment in Douglas under construction and another in South Haven ready to go as soon as funds are released in October.

Jeanne Van Zoeren, president of Friends of the Blue Star Trail, said she is hopeful construction can start this fall or next spring on a 2-mile segment in South Haven to extend from Baseline Road to the Consumer's Energy Conference Center; it is paid for by a $355,000 federal grant and another $145,000 local match.

"We have about $500,000 construction money available to us, but the money has to flow to Washington, D.C. through Lansing to us," Van Zoeren said.

The plans are out for bid now, and the hope is to have all approvals in place by the time the money becomes available, she said.

The paved, 10-foot-wide trail runs along the west side of Blue Star Highway, the first two-lane road in the country, built to link Chicago to the tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula.

There are three lake views along the 18-mile stretch from South Haven to Saugatuck, which the group hopes will be completed in five years.

The city of Douglas has a 2-mile section underway, funded out of general revenue. Construction is expected to be done by fall this year.

On April 1, the group filed a trust fund application, Van Zoeren said, for $300,000 for Saugatuck Township.

"I am extremely hopeful because the state wants Michigan to be the trail state, with more trails than any other state in the Union," she said.

They will also will apply for $500,000 from the Michigan Department of Transportation for Saugatuck Township’s trail.

The trail is intended for biking, hiking and cross-country skiing.

For the third time, the group is planning a fundraising bike tour, this year on Aug. 16, that starts at the Kal-Haven trail head in South Haven and ends in Saugatuck, with stops at wineries, pottery studios, orchards, and farm markets. A variety of routes vary in length from 10 miles to 100 miles, Van Zoeren said.

The Friends of the Blue Star Trail are also working on a smart phone application that will include the history of various parts of the trail with a synopsis of history of the area and information about agricultural products grown there, Van Zoeren said.

Volunteers at area historical societies are compiling the information, she said.

The trail project is a grass roots effort that uses community information sessions and social gathering to talk about the trail and solicit donations for local grant matches.

"We have an all-volunteer staff, and most are near or at retirement, but I’ve never seen anything like this and I have been a professional planner for 40 years," Van Zoeren said.